StovePipeHat

All systems go

All systems go on my '83 BMW

Merrill Lynch and Moral Hazard

It's not often that I'm proud of the Bush administration, so this calls for a celebration.  Hank Paulson refused to bailout Lehman....if they had only drawn the line on Bear Stearns maybe we could have avoided bailing out Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac. 

The moral (hazard) of the story: if you're not "too big to fail", you'd best get there quick unless you want to be the next Drexel Burnham Lambert.  (Credit goes to Reason for consistently pushing this story.)

I'm sad to see the demise of the firm that employed my father for 20 years (and me for three); guess all of my Merrill Lynch chotckes will be going on eBay in five years.

the deer hunter

Dove season opened on Labor Day, and I have too many shotguns (eight at last count).  Traded my first shotgun (a 12 gauge automatic Beretta 390 that I bought at the Wal-Mart in Benton, Arkansas) for my brother's Weatherby Vanguard 308.  Looking forward to some deer hunting come October.

I would have liked to get a .300 WSM or maybe a 45-70, but this is a good all-purpose hunting rifle. Based on the 1898 Mauser design, it is bolt action with a five round capacity. Came with a great 3x-9x 40 scope by Swift. The best part is that it was free (I hardly ever shoot the Beretta anymore, since I have its bigger cousin the Benelli (my "dinner gun").

Death Valley

It's been at least five years since I've been to Tiger Stadium. Tailgate is not unlike Duke's, but this is football at an entirely different level.

Hurricane Ike

We've battened down the hatches in New Orleans. After four days of animal rescue work it's nice to kick back and relax. Tonight's hurricane party featured a performance by psycogirlfriend, recorded at Kelly's (500 Washington Ave.) This was an acoustic performance due to the spinoff tornado activity.

Special Forces

My cousin Johnathan, who is being deployed to Kuwait tomorrow. He is 19 and expecting his first baby in January. I feel a kinship with Sarah Palin.

Hurricane Gustav

One of the three trees that fell on my brother's house.

the road worrier

With my Jawbone headset and my .357 snubnose I am ready for anything (in this case, researching a confederate slave burial site near a church in Lavonia, Ga.).

Note that while I normally wear Chuck Taylor low-boys, you can't beat the high tops for insect protection when it's too damned hot to wear hiking boots. In this photo the road worrier is worried about snakes.